Russell Knox was delighted with his week's work at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation after he was beaten by two pieces of brilliance from Rory McIlroy.
Knox began the week with a round of 75 but pulled himself back into contention over days two and three and - after birdies on the 14th and 15th - led the tournament with just three holes to play.
Tournament host McIlroy then found another gear, hitting a stunning 271-yard three wood to reach the par five 16th in two for a birdie as Knox made a bogey, and he then repeated the trick with a five wood from 253 yards on the last to set up an eagle.
It was a sensational finish from the four-time Major Championship winner and Knox had no complaints after securing his best finish of the season so far.
I played brilliant to be honest. I had loads of chances. Made some, missed some. I was very happy with the way I played - Russell Knox
"Obviously 16 is a huge turning point. But the shots that Rory hit in the end, he deserves to win.
"Maybe I could have got the tee shot in the fairway on 18, maybe been able to have a go or something. But all in all, I know I played good golf.
"That shot that Rory hit on 18 was a joke. What a way for him to finish, hats off to him."
Knox was playing alongside McIlroy in the final group on Sunday and was full of praise for the masses of Irish fans that turned out at The K Club - even if they were rooting against him.
"It was amazing," he added. "The Irish crowds are phenomenal here.
"Of course they are rooting for Rory, just like they would root for me in Scotland. But they were extremely respectful to Danny (Willett) and myself, and if you hit good shots, they cheered us on. It was amazing."
Bradley Dredge had a birdie-birdie finish in a closing 66 to sit alongside Knox in second as he secured a third top ten in seven events this season.
The Welshman also made a fantastic start with birdies on the second, third and fourth and was left to regret a mid-round lull.
"I played well today," he said. "Nice to get it going early on, and then just cooled things off a bit in the middle. Had to restart back and bogeyed 11, which was a bit disappointing. Got it together and then made some good birdies on 13, 17 and 18.
"I think the first two rounds for me, it was scrambling. I scrambled really well. I still managed to post two decent rounds, so that kept me in with a chance in the weekend."
